Seal for boxes, bags, &amp;c.



No. 804,824. PATENTBD NOV. 21, 1905.

E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL FOR BOXES, BAGS, 8w.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 11. 1905.

W1 7Wl553 7- 7z I INVENTOR PATENTBD NOV. 21, 1905- E. J. BROOKS. SEAL FOR BOXES, BAGS APPLICATION FILED FEB.11. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

SEAL FOR BOXES, BAGS, 800.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed February 11, 1905. Serial No. 245,312.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of-East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seals for Boxes, Bags, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for securing the knots of sealing-cords and the equivalent end connections of wire bands and the like on shipping cases or boxes and on bags, 620., so as to insure the detection of violations of such fastenings. or to mask the fastening and display a trade-mark or brand.

The present invention consists in an improved sealing device or seal adapted to be readily manufactured apart from an attaching tack or pin from sheet metal and in certain novel combinations of parts embodied, in the improved seal, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box provided with the attached back member of the improved seal and with a sealing-cord preliminary to fastening the latter. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the end connecting knot of the sealing-cord within said back member of the seal. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the completion of the sealing operation and showing the exterior of the front member of the seal. Figs. 4 and 5 represent, respectively, back and edge views of the blank of said back member.- Figs. 6 and 7 are like views of the snap-catch part of said front member. Figs. 8 and 9 represent, respectively, a back View and an edge view of the outer part of said front member. Fig. 10 represents a section through the completedand fastened seal, showing the connected ends ofa wire band within the seal.

are respectively a sectional view and an external view showing another species of'the improved seal, as hereinafter described.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The improved seal in all its forms comprises back and front members, (represented, respectively, at a and a and at I), 6 and 6 the back member a. or a being provided with means for preliminarily attaching it to a box, bag, or the like and the front member 6 or b or 6 adapted to partly inclose the back member and to wholly inclose and together therewith protect the knot or like end connection 0 or cl of the sealing cord or band 0 or cl employed in connection therewith and adapted by its shape and color and by distinguishing-marks, such as are illustrated at c and e, eitheror both, to indicate the original seal and to prevent fraudulently duplicating the same.

The means for preliminarily attaching the back member a or a consists, preferably, of a sharp-pointed tack or pin f, arranged centrally with reference to the flat back of said back member and perpendicular thereto and having a head embraced by a clenched eyeletcollar 9 or the like within the back member, so as to fixedly attach the same. Such eyeletcollar 9 is readily formed in the act of punching a hole to receive the tack or pin f, and the latter is readily fastened in place within such collar in the act of inserting the tack or pin by a suitable punch.

Inthe species represented by Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive, the back member a, apart from said means for preliminarily attaching the same, is constructed with a pair of walls 1 and 2, having notches h to partly embrace the cord or band 0 or OZ and adapted to bite the latter on both sides of its end connection a or. cl when the front member I) is applied, the back member a being further constructed with a pair of relatively long ears 3 and 1, provided with catch-holes and arranged at right angles to such notched walls 1 and 2. Said walls 1 and 2 and ears 3 and A are in common perpendicular to the fiat back 5 of the back part, and all these parts are readily formed in one piece, as illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, which show the punched blank of sheet'metal. The front member b of the'same species, Figs. 1 to 10, is composed of two sheet-metal parts 6 and 7 one of which is shown at successive stages of its production by Figs. 6 and 7, and the other as stamped complete by suitable dies is represented by Figs. 8 and 9. The part 6 first named, hereinafter termed the snap-catch part, is made from a substantially square blank of sheet metal cut through on the full lines and bent on the dotted lines in Fig. 6, so that it appears in edge view whenready tobe united with the other part of the front member, as shown in Fig. 7. In this form it comprises a pair of walls j and is, provided with outwardly-sprung snap-catches t", and a pair of holes 3 and L, arranged parallel with said walls and adapted to receive said ears 3 and 4 of the back member a. It further comprises edges Z in, n, and 0, adapted to be bent around an outwardly-projecting rim 0. on the outer part 7 and to interlock the two parts 6 and 7 with each other, as shown in Fig. 10. Said outer part 7 of the front member 6 is provided with a pair of inwardly-projecting embossed ridges j and 7c to engage with the front ends of said walls jand is of the snap-catch part, so as to render the latter rigidly supported within the seal. It is preferably and conveniently Without any openings whatever apart from its wide open back, and its only additional feature is or may be the distinguishing-marks e aforesaid, (represented in Fig. 3 and Fig. 8,) which marks may be embossed in the sheet metal, as there represented, or printed thereon or otherwise suitably applied thereto.

The back member a is preliminarily attached to a box 10-for example, as represented in Fig. 1 before its cord 0 or band d is fastened. The ends of the latter are then united by a knot or equivalent connection 0 or d, which in the act of forming it is located within said back member a, as shown in Fig. 2. The front memberbis then applied, as illustrated by Fig. 3, and the sealing operation is thus completed. In the act of applying said front member 6 the catch-holes z'of the back member a interlock with the snap-catches t" within the front member, as shown in Fig. 10, and the knot or equivalent end connection 0 or d is securely inclosed within the seal, so that it cannot be unfastened without destroying the seal, and thus insuring detection.

Before or after sealing the knot or equivalent end connection, as above described, the cord or band 0 or (i may be securely attached to each board of the box 12 that it crosses by means of supplemental seals 00, Fig. 1, which for the purposes of the present invention may be of any known or improved construction.

Fig. 11 may represent the same seal applied to a bag q, the tack or pin being readily thrust into the fabric of the closed neck of the bag to a sufficient extent to preliminarily member 6 the back member may be of the rectangular shape and bent-up construction represented at a in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10.

When'security is not req uired,but the seal is employed simply to carry a trade-mark or designationas, for example, to indicate the brand of flour within a bag-the improved seal may be made without said snap-catch part 6, as illustrated by Figs. 1.7 and 18. In this form the back member a and the front member b are in common cup-shaped and provided with indentations 8 and 8', which are adapted to interlock with each other, as shown in Fig. 7, when the seal is closed, and both members are provided with notches 9 and 10 to embrace the cord or band on both sides of its end connection and are adapted to inclose and cover the latter as in the other species.

Other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification 1. A self-fastening seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with notched Walls to embrace a sealing cord or band on both sides of the connection of the ends of said cord or band with each other, and a self-fastening front member adapted to be applied externally to said back member and to partly inclose said back member, and in connection therewith to inclose and cover such end connection.

2. A self-fastening seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member having a flat back provided with a rigidly-attached tack or pin for preliminarily attaching said back member, and with a pair of walls parallel to each other to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and a pair of cars at right angles to said walls, and a front member adapted to interlock with said ears and to partly inclose said back member and in connection therewith to inclose and cover such end connection.

3. A self-fastening seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member having its back provided with an inturned eyelet-collar, an attaching tack or pin rigidly attached by said collar, and walls to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection, and a front member attachable to said back member and adapted in connection therewith to inclose and cover such end connection.

4. A seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with a pair of walls parallel with each other to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and a pair of ears arranged at right angles to said walls and provided with catch-holes, and a front member adapted to admit such ears and provided with internal snap-catches arranged to interlock with said catch-holes for fastento admit such ears and with internal snap-' catches arranged to interlock with said catchholes, for fastening the seal.

6. A seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with walls to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and a pair of ears each provided with one element of a snap-catch device, and a front member comprising a snap-catch part adapted to interlock with said back member and an outer part permanently interlocked with said snap-catch part at its perimeter and adapted to inclose and cover such end connection and the snap-catches.

7 A seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with walls to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and a pair of ears each provided with one element of a snap-catch device, and a front member comprising a snap-catch part having walls adapted to interlock with said ears of the back member, and an outer part permanently interlocked with said snap-catch part at its perimeter and adapted to inclose and cover such end connection and the snapcatches, and provided internally with supports for the front ends of such snap-catch walls.

8. A seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with walls to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and with ears each provided with one element of a snap-catch device, and a front member comprising a snap-catch part having walls adapted to interlock with said ears of the back member and an outer part permanently interlocked with said snap-catch part at its perimeter and adapted to inclose and cover such end connection and the snapcatches, and provided with inwardly-projecting ribs arranged. to support the front ends of such snap-catch walls.

9. A seal, for boxes, bags and the like, composed of a back member provided with means for preliminarily attaching the same, walls parallel with each other to contact with a sealing cord or band on both sides of its end connection and a pair of ears at right angles to said walls each provided with one element of a snap-catch device, and a front member comprising a snap-catch part having a pair of walls parallel with each other adapted to interlock with said ears of the back member and .an outer part permanently interlocked with said snap-catch part at its perimeter and adapted to inclose such end connection and the snap-catches, and having its front wall indented to form inwardly-projecting ribs arranged parallel with each other to support the front ends of such snap-catch walls.

10. Aseal, for boxes, bags and thelike, composed of a back member provided with a tack or pin for preliminarily attaching the same and constructed with a flat back from which said tack or pin projects and with notched Walls to embrace a sealing cord or band on both sides of the connection of the ends of said cord or band with each other and with a pair of ears each provided with one element of a snapcatch device, and a front member comprising a snap-catch part having a pair of walls adapted to interlock with said ears of the back member and an outer part permanently interlocked with said snap-catch part at its perimeter and adapted to inclose and cover such end connection and the snap-catches, and having its front wall indented to form inwardly-projecting ribs arranged to support the front ends of such snap-catch walls, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDWARD J. BROOKS. Witnesses:

ELLEN J. BROOKS, ELINOR BROOKS. 

